Today's Haul

More Zinnias

This is an overview photo of the garden plot taken on the afternoon of 7/10/13. I'm calling it the view looking down the center isle.

This photo was taken on 7/10/13. I'm calling it the side view from the rock.

This photo was taken on 7/10/13. From right to left there are zinnias, sunflowers, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers.

This photo was taken on 7/10/13. On the left there are onions. Next to the onions are some marigolds. In the middle are a variety of tomato, basil, and pepper plants. The tomato plants have stakes.

This photo was taken on 7/10/13. From left to right there are potato plants, watermelon plants, small tomato plants, and onions.

This photo was taken on 7/10/13. From left to right there is a zucchini plant in the front and large, sprawling pumpkin plants in the back. There are cantaloupe plants in the front and carrots in the back. There are nasturtiums in the front and beets in the back. There are cucumbers between the carrots and the beets. There are potatoes on the right. George's corn is getting taller in plot beyond mine.

Zinnias

This is an overview photo of the garden plot taken on the morning of 6/22/13.

This photo was taken on 6/22/13. From right to left there are zinnias, sunflowers, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers.

This photo was taken on 6/22/13. On the left there are onions. Next to the onions are some marigolds and large weeds that look similar to marigolds. In the middle there is the oscillating sprinkler doing its job. Around the sprinkler are a variety of tomato and pepper plants. The tomato plants have stakes. On the right there are garlic plants with a few purple blooms.

This photo was taken on 6/22/13. From left to right there are potato plants, watermelon plants, small tomato plants, and onions.

This photo was taken on 6/22/13. From left to right there is a zucchini plant in the front and pumpkin plants in the back. There are cantaloupe plants in the front and carrots in the back. There are nasturtiums in the front and beets in the back. There are cucumbers between the carrots and the beets. There are potatoes on the right. George's corn is coming up the in plot beyond mine.

Here is an overview view of the garden plot. My neighboring gardener, George, and his red truck are in the background.

To the right of the tomato plants there is a row of garlic. The garlic has not fully recovered from being transplanted. To the right of the garlic are sunflower plants. To the right of the sunflower plants are zinnias.

To the right of the onions are various tomato and pepper plants.

Here you see the potato plants on the left (Yukon gold in the front and red Pontiac potatoes in the back). The next row includes 6 mounds of watermelon plants. Between the potatoes and watermelon plants is a pile of extra dirt. A friend who is moving to Florida had extra dirt after touching up her yard. Her kind real-estate agent brought the dirt over to my garden last Saturday so that I could hill up my potato plants. To the right of the watermelon plants is a row of tomato plants (mountain gold tomato plants in the front and sweet 100 cherry tomato plants in the back). On the right are the onion plants.

On the left (from near to far) are 1 mound of zucchini, 1 mound of yellow squash, and 2 mounds of pumpkins. The next row over are 3 mounds of cantaloupe plants in the front and carrots in the back. The next row are nasturtiums in the front and beets in the back. On the right of this photo are the potato plants. Beyond my garden you can see George's rows of corn starting to come up.

I created mounds for 6 watermelon plants. I planted 2 more pumpkin plants in the place of the butternut squash plants that shriveled. I mulched around onions, around part of garlic, and over some weeds. My neighboring gardener, George, sprayed the potatoes with Sevin for me and offered me some of his Kale.

Today I purchased a 6-pack of sweet 100 cherry tomatoes and a 6-pack of mountain gold tomatoes and 4 single superstar cantaloupe plants from Bowmans ($7.30). I also purchased a 6-pack of sugar baby watermelon plants from Barracks ($3.45). I used 2 bags of topsoil to create hills for the cantaloupe plants. I used 4 pages of topsoil to hill Yukon gold potatoes. I also sprayed for potato beetles.

The potato beetles are thriving despite the Sevin on Monday. Yesterday (Friday), I spent about an hour picking beetles of the potatoes both before work and in the evening. I picked them off the plants again this morning. Yesterday I bought 16 oz of Bonide Colorado Potato Beetle Beater for organic gardening. I will add 3 tsp to a 32oz spray bottle and apply weekly.

Last Saturday (May 25th) I planted yellow squash, butternut squash, and pumpkin plants. I weeded around potatoes. I also started marigold seeds indoors. Bridget came to see the garden. We walked to and from the park from my home. On Memorial Day (May 27th) I weeded and mulched around the onions, I mulched a couple of the weedy paths, I started hilling up the potatoes using mulch. I noticed a few Colorado potato beetles on the potatoes. My garden neighbor, George, spray my potatoes with Sevin at my request. From May 28th though May 31st I went to the garden plot each morning to water. We hit 90 degrees every day this week. I can see many of the seeds emerging including the carrots, beets, nasturtiums, sunflowers, and zinnias. I don't recognize the marigolds so I'm not weeding that area. Beth and I picked 3 onions from the garden on Thursday morning (May 30th) Glenda came to see the garden on Thursday evening.

Today’s work (described left to right across the garden plot): 1) Made 4 mounds in the strip with the hose. Planted zucchini plants (purchased from Dutch Plant Farm) in closest mounds. Will plant yellow squash, butternut squash, and pumpkins in the other 3 mounds. 2) Next strip over: In the further section, I planted carrot & beet seeds. The carrots are in a row next to the hose. The beets (seeds I purchased this year from Southern States) are in a row next to the potatoes. I don’t know how the carrots will do in this heavy clay soil. Especially since the carrot seeds are some I purchased in 2005 from Willhite. I hope to put cucumbers between the carrots and beets later this month. In the closer section, I planted nasturtium seeds in a row next to the potatoes. 3) Did not make any changes to the strip with the potatoes or the vacant strip to the right of the potatoes. 4) My friend Alysia weeded the thick weeds growing around the onions. Thank you Alysia! I planted nasturtiums in the open spaces around the freshly weeded onions. I planted some zigzagging rows of marigolds in the unmulched “path” to the right of the onions and, in the process, I disturbed an ant hill in this area. The marigold seeds (Burpee) are Burpee’s Best Mix (12”) purchased this year from Southern States. 5) Planted nasturtiums around the pepper plants. The nasturtium seeds (Burpee) are Jewel Mix (10-12”) purchased this year from Southern States and Whirlybird Mix (12”) purchased in 2011. 6. Planted a couple rows of sunflower seeds and a couple rows of zinnia seeds to the right of the garlic. The sunflowers seeds (Burpee) are Chianti Hybrid (4-5 feet), Strawberry Blonde (6 feet), & Italian White (5 feet) from Southern States. The zinnia seeds (Burpee) are Giant Flowered Mix (30”) purchased this year and Pulcino Mix (12-15”) purchased in 2011. Hopefully the 2011 seeds will germinate. 7. I used the oscillating sprinkler to water the garden, which might not have been necessary since there is rain in the forecast. 8. Not only did I enjoy Alysia’s company today, but together we watched a helicopter land just beyond where we had parked. Heritage Farm Park was hosting a lacrosse tournament today and there was an unfortunate accident in the parking lot. I hope the injured party is doing okay.

Today's Photos

Garden Overview (the garlic plants wilted a little after transplanting, hose in distance): Garlic (hopefully will bloom in June) & space for flowers (perhaps sunflowers & zinnias): Tomatoes (rainbow blend, La Roma, & Better Boy) & Peppers (lady bell, red, & green): Onions & Habanero Peppers (in distance) with weeds (mulch needed around Habaneros): Potatoes (red pontiac plants in the distance and yukon gold plants in the closer part): Space for squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc with hose in the corner:

This evening I planted the 6 Better Boy tomato plants, 2 basil plants, 6 green pepper plants, 6 red pepper plants, 6 lady bell pepper plants, and 6 habanero pepper plants that I purchased from the Scott Key Center on May 6th. I used an oscillating sprinkler to water them after planting.

This evening I planted the 4 rainbow blend tomato plants, 4 La Roma tomato plants, 8 green pepper plants, and 6 basil plants that I purchased from the Walkersville H.S. FFA Club on May 4th. I used the hose to water them just after planting.

Today I mulched 6 more sections of the garden plot.

Today at lunch I went to the Scott Key Center and bought a flat of veggies for $15.90. The flat included a 6-pack of Better Boy tomaotes, 2 basil plants, and 4 6-packs of peppers (green peppers, red peppers, lady bell peppers, and habanero peppers).

Today I bought plants from the Walkersville H.S. FFA Club. I bought 6 Italian basil plants ($1 each), 4 rainbow blend tomato plants ($1 each), a 4-pack of La Roma tomato plants ($2), 2 4-packs of California Wonder sweet green peppers ($2 each) for a total of $16.

Today I brought hoses to the garden plot and tested the water system. Two hoses from home were enough to reach my plot. The onions have emerged, but the potatoes aren't up yet. One website (http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scenec6be.html) estimates 14-28 days for potatoes to emerge, depending on soil temperature. My potatoes were planted on April 17th, so hopefully they'll emerge in the next 10 days.

Today I transplanted garlic and mulched more sections of the garden.

I plan to plant garlic on the beds on the right in the near future. I wonder how the rain that is forecast for Friday will alter the look of the paths.

The "beds" are only separated with mulch in the further half of the garden plot. The beds just to the right of the potatoes are empty (I plan to plant beets in these beds in the near future). The next beds over are full of onions. The nearer bed has "Yellow Stuttgartter" onions on the left side and "Yellow Danvers" onions on the right side. The further bed has "Yellow Globe" onions on the left side and white onions on the right side.

Angel in front of 2 mulched beds of potatoes. The "Yukon Gold" potatoes are in the closer half of the mulched section and the "Red Pontiac" potatoes are in the further half.

Garden Plot #2 after separating section with mulched paths.

April 17, 2013 Garden Plot #2 with Glade E.S. in the background.